


Last Night of the World

by eponine119



Category: Lost
Genre: F/M, the 70s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22996441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eponine119/pseuds/eponine119
Summary: What do you do when you have your coworker tied up in the closet?“Scrabble?”
Relationships: Juliet Burke/James "Sawyer" Ford
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Last Night of the World

Last Night of the World  
by eponine119  
February 21-22, 2020

What do you do when you have your coworker tied up in the closet?

“Scrabble?” 

She bursts out with a laugh that sounds almost like tears. He reaches for her, but stops himself. “What?” she asks. 

“Can't do nothin' fun. Phil will hear.” 

She gives him her worried look again. He picks up the Scrabble box from the bookshelf and sets it on the dining room table. 

She pours him a cup of the coffee she'd made for Jack, and pours another for herself. It's going to be a long night. 

He takes a long sip and looks at her. 

“What's wrong?” she asks. 

He laughs. What isn't wrong, at this point? “This is good coffee.” 

“Thank you?” 

“You never make me coffee this good.” 

“It's the same coffee,” she says, holding his gaze. 

“You made it special for the doc.” 

“James,” she says, and she's serious now. “What are we going to do?” 

“I don't know,” he says, and that's about as honest as he wants to be at the moment. 

She stands behind him and wraps her arms around his neck. He leans back into her. She kisses the corner of his mouth. Then just as quickly she's gone, sitting down across from him and pulling tiles out of the velvet bag. 

They're just waiting for morning – and disaster – to come. 

It feels like the last night of being them. 

Tomorrow it'll be back to fighting for their lives, one way or another. No more motor pool, no more LaFleur, no more roof over their heads and soft beds and coffee. 

They won't be alone together anymore. 

The Scrabble gods either smile on him or screw him over, he's not sure which. Out of his tile selection, a four-letter word surfaces, so he lays FUCK down on the board. 

“Challenge,” she says. 

“C'mon,” he says. “That's a word.” 

“It's not in the dictionary,” she says like she knows. 

“You already checked?” 

“You never looked up dirty words in the dictionary?” she teases. Then she lays down SCREWED, using his C. 

“It's gonna be like that, is it?” 

“Yes. It is.” 

It makes the game harder, trying to form not just words but dirty words. They fall into silence as they play. An extra loud thump from the bedroom closet makes Juliet jump. 

“Hey. It's okay,” he says. 

“You thought of a plan yet?” She levels those blue eyes on him. 

“I thought it was your turn,” he jokes. She looks like she's going to burst into tears, so he puts his foot on her leg under the table. At least it makes her smile before she looks away. 

“How long until they miss him?” she asks. 

“Let's see, no wife, no girlfriend... they might never,” he says, and it strikes him as sad. “We've probably got til morning. Not much longer.” 

“We could go now,” she says. 

He shakes his head sadly. There's people he's responsible for now. She knows it too. “Let 'em get a good night's sleep.” 

“What about us?” she asks. 

He purposefully misunderstands. “We drank too much coffee to get any sleep. Plus the new roommate.” 

She's absently rearranging the tiles on the game board with her fingers. Making new words. Sometimes he loves to just watch her. 

“You can curl up on the couch,” he suggests. 

She gives him that half smile and shakes her head in a very small motion. They're in this together. 

More noise from the closet – sounds like kicking now – and he watches Juliet cringe. 

He goes to the record player, thinking the music will drown it out. The needle drops onto the record. Spinning to face her, he puts his hands out. “C'mere.” 

She goes to him almost reluctantly. He puts his arms around her waist and she looks up at him for a long moment. He rubs her back and feels her take a deep breath. She lets her head rest heavily against his shoulder. 

He shuffles his feet a little but they're not dancing so much as standing in the middle of the room, holding each other. “James,” she says, and he loves the sound of his name on her tongue. The name no one called him till she came along. 

“It's okay,” he lies. He wants to keep this moment for as long as he can. It's going to be a long time before they get another one. 

The record ends, and he pulls her over to the couch. Thinking maybe she can get some sleep, even if he can't, because someone has to stand guard. They curl up together. He squeezes her against him, then combs his fingers through her hair. He can feel her relax. Knows she feels safe. 

He's listening with one ear and thinks the closet has gotten awfully quiet. 

The book he's been reading is lying on the coffee table and he picks it up. Juliet turns her cheek against his chest. He finds his page again, but his mind is working too hard to focus on the words, not to mention he can't quite reach his glasses without nudging her, and he's not going to do that. He needs her here against him more than he needs his glasses. His head already hurts. 

“Read it to me,” she says. 

“You read it already.” He lets her have first crack at all the books that come their way. Mostly because when he didn't, she drove him crazy. He reads slow and she reads fast. She gets impatient. This way she can tear through it, and then he can take his time without her bugging him to hurry up and finish it so she can read it. It works for them. 

“I don't care, I just need – “ She breaks off, like she doesn't know. Or can't say. Won't say. “You, I guess,” she says, and he hears the weariness in her voice. 

It's going to be a long few days, whatever happens. Maybe he can read her to sleep, just for an hour or two. Read her into a sweet dream of the life they don't want to see ending. 

So he licks his lips and takes a deep breath. She reaches over to the table and then holds his glasses up for him. He slips them on and turns the page, and starts to read the words. 

After a moment, he drifts into silence.

“Don't stop,” she says. 

“I hate this book.” 

“Me too,” she agrees. “But I can't reach something else.” He moves slightly, as if to get up. She snuggles harder against him, digging her fingers into his shirt. “Tell me a story instead.” 

“Don't know any.” 

“You can make one up. It's easy. Once upon a time...” 

“Once upon a time,” he repeats. Stops. 

“There lived,” she prompts. 

“Who's telling this story?” He's stroking her hair now. 

“There lived,” she prompts again, and he knows she's smirking. 

“There lived a hideous creature,” he says. 

“You're supposed to say a prince and a princess.” 

“You really wanna tell it?” 

“No. A prince and princess are so boring.” 

“Okay,” he says. “Where was I?” Even though he knows. 

“Hideous creature.” 

“Right. A hideous creature, who knew that he was unloveable. Some stuff happened, and then he met this other hideous creature. A girl. With the light of the sun inside her. Who thought she was unloveable too.” 

Her breathing's gone soft and steady. 

But she's tricked him before. 

“Then some other stuff happened.” He knows she's asleep now – she'd never let him get away with that twice. 

He's thinking they'll go back to the beach. As long as Dharma don't come looking for them, and the Hostiles let them alone, it just might... 

She startles against him and he opens his eyes. He hadn't realized he'd drifted off. He holds her as they both listen for whatever woke them up. But it's quiet. It won't be for long. Best to say what he needs to say before then. 

“Juliet, I'm --” 

She interrupts him deliberately before he can say it. “It's almost light.” 

“Juliet.” 

“I'd better make some more coffee.” But she doesn't move, and he says her name again. This time he thinks she's ready to listen. 

But there's a knock at the door. It's started. 

(end)


End file.
